The Shepherd and the Star - Part I
The year is 2291 AD, and the human race is just beginning its journey across the stars. Mars is under quarantine as she undergoes a lengthy terraforming process which scientists hope will eventually make her fit for human habitation. Her colonies underground lie dormant, abandoned, since all of the world’s inhabitants have either returned to Earth or to one of the distant outposts of Europa. As the space around Mars empties, a single rusty freighter drifts in orbit to overlook the birth of what has been named ‘Primary terraformation‘ .... '' ''Captain Vahagnae watched keenly through the bow window, with his arms securely folded and his head immobile as he stood behind the seat of a young pilot aboard the small cockpit. The magnetic doors slipped open just behind them and, like a ghost, someone glided in. A silhouette quilted in thin flexible metal which utterly enveloped a slender and naturally curved figure finely hidden beneath. Only her eyes were visible through the glistening visor of her bulky, silver helmet. By her battle-ready appearance it was clear to Vahagnae that she had just boarded. * ‘Commander, I did wonder when you were coming up. Just in time I imagine too,’ the captain spoke gruffly as he peeked towards her from behind his shoulder ‘the final satellite has just touched down at the final drop zone.’ * ‘-I know, I dropped it there,’ she explained before she tugged away the bony restraints which connected her helmet to her combat suit, then hauled it off and rested it underneath her arm. Her dim crimson hair dropped to her shoulders and she shot a sharp glance at him with her powerful sapphire eyes. * ‘The first terraforming event in the history of the solar system...I just hope they get it right this time. We all remember that nasty business on Lunar 4-...’ he reminisced and returned his gaze to outside. * ‘-Lets just get on with it.’ She protested, dropped down the helmet then proceeded to fold her own arms, irritated by his absorption in what was about to happen. * ‘Hmm. Not a very patient person eh, commander?’ he surrendered ‘but alright, I understand. You have places to be, even when the innovation of a century stands naively before you. With your background, that doesn’t surprise me. Get the job done. No failures. All of that crap.’ The commander glared away, sighed and watched her reflection through the side window as the captain stepped forward and patted the pilot on the shoulder. * ‘Open a channel to HQ. Let them know that we’re ready up here.’ After a series of short communications were shared between the captain and the scientists back on Earth via the freighter’s comm., the pilot began encoding the initiation sequence into the forward console. * ‘...Godspeed, everyone.’ The captain prayed. The bleak face of Mars waited unwearyingly as one of the satellites on her surface suddenly let out a small noise, then the top seals unlatched and the front cover collapsed and crashed onto the rocks below. An advanced computer then lifted out with a deep, motorized sigh and from its flat top a small beacon flipped up. All across the world the other satellites followed suite, until they each appeared the same with the beacons facing the pale sky. In no particular order, the beacons began to charge up the energy stored within their central hub and as soon as the applicable force had been assembled... The first satellite launched a thin beam of mystifying emerald ‘terraforma’ and punctured the clouds, and before long the others followed their leader into battle without hesitation. Soon enough the beacons begin to spin atop the individual satellites, slicing through the atmosphere of the planetoid like a team of surgeons cutting into a very ill patient, until finally they all met up at a single point and stopped solidly above the site of Olympus Mons. As the energies of the satellites, each suddenly adopting a different colour, ran into each other – a colossal burst of all of it all combined into one dropped from the midst of them and pelted down into the wide crater of the dormant volcano, then from the peak a series of cataclysmic explosions ran down the slopes of gigantic mountain, erupting violently from beneath the ground as everything was about to change forever. In a matter of minutes, the entire surface of Mars was shrouded in a cavernous ocean of storms. * ‘The satellite initiation process seems to be a complete success! What’s the view like up there on the observation deck, captain?’ a cackled transmission broke the edgy silence, making everyone in the cockpit suddenly shift their stance slightly. There was a mutual sigh of relief, even a delicate one from the commander herself. * ‘...Just like it was described. It’s gotten messy down there, HQ. The whole world seems to be under a flood of storms and cyclones, and all of that other stuff. What do the VR predictions suggest?’ the captain enquired loudly. * ‘...Nothing progressive will be visible for a few days, captain, but we’ve just received word from the Agency. The commander is required in the Solace colony on Europa. Something’s just come up. We’re sending the Nova in to take over as key observation platform now. Your orders are to escort the commander to the colony then wait for further instructions. HQ out.’ The transmission echoed loud and clear. The commander tilted her head ever so slightly as she rearranged her thoughts to fit this into her schedule. She did not object to anything the Agency said or did before, and she was not about to start. It’s all a part of the job, she remembered quickly. * ‘Commander...?’ Captain Vahagnae said as he stared at her a lucid curiosity. * ‘Solace. Europa’s first colony. I should feel flattered I guess,’ she shrugged ‘I did wonder why the Agency ordered to me to come aboard here after making the final drop.’ * ‘As did I. I don’t like being in the dark, Commander. My ship isn’t just some toy that the Agency can play with. It’s my ship. Understand?’ the captain made clear, and the commander noticed that the friendly atmosphere of the cockpit had iced over. * ‘I may be one of their agents, but I’m no executive. The Agency has a strong position in the UA, captain; if they order you to do something then it means that they have the credentials to do so. I’d get over it.’ She stamped on his authority ‘I’d also remind myself that one of their agents outranks a ship captain. Understand?’ * ‘This is my ship, commander. Not theirs or yours. I volunteered for this mission because I wanted to see Mars, and not because I wanted to help the Agency carry out their dirty work. I don’t expect you to understand however.’ He smiled ever so slightly. * ‘They didn’t ask you to do anything. Just drop me off at Solace and then be on your way.’ She ordered. * ‘I intend to, commander, but I still don’t like carrying assassins on my ship.’ in Part II